Nursing education in Gombe State is delivered through a mix of government-run institutions and privately owned colleges of health science and technology. Most of the private options in the state operate as colleges of health science and technology rather than dedicated schools of nursing, and they typically run community health, health information management, and nursing-related diploma programmes rather than the full Basic Nursing (RN) programme that the government-owned Gombe State College of Nursing Sciences offers. This article lists the private institutions offering nursing and nursing-related training in Gombe State, explains what is known about their fees, and clarifies the accreditation issues prospective students should check before applying for the 2026/2027 session.
Nursing Training Structure in Gombe State
Nigeria’s nursing education system runs through two main channels: dedicated Schools/Colleges of Nursing Sciences, which award the National Diploma (ND) or Higher National Diploma (HND) in Nursing Science and prepare candidates for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), and Colleges of Health Science and Technology, which train a broader range of allied health professionals, including Community Health Officers, Environmental Health Officers, and Health Information Management Technicians, alongside some nursing-assistant and health-related diploma tracks.
In Gombe State, the main dedicated nursing institution is the Gombe State College of Nursing Sciences, a state-government-owned school that runs ND/HND Nursing, Post-Basic HND Nursing, and Post-Basic Public Health Nursing programmes. Private nursing-focused training in the state is comparatively newer and smaller in scale, concentrated in a handful of privately owned colleges that have emerged over the past decade.
List of Private Nursing and Health Science Colleges in Gombe State
The table below lists the private colleges of health science and technology, and dedicated private nursing colleges, currently operating or previously licensed in Gombe State.
| Institution | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Adamu Fura College of Nursing Sciences (AFCONS) | Private College of Nursing | Gombe |
| Ummah College of Health Sciences and Technology | Private College of Health Science and Technology (JIBWIS-affiliated) | GRA, Gombe |
| Fountain College of Health Sciences and Technology | Private College of Health Science and Technology | Gombe |
| Performance College of Health, Science and Technology | Private College of Health Science and Technology | Billiri |
| Garkuwa College of Health, Science and Technology | Private College of Health Science and Technology | Gombe |
| Dukku International College of Health, Science and Technology | Private College of Health Science and Technology | Dukku |
| Haruna Rasheed College of Health, Science and Technology | Private College of Health Science and Technology | Dukku |
| Ilimi College of Health Science and Technology | Private College of Health Science and Technology | Gombe |
| Lamido School of Hygiene | Private School of Hygiene | Liji |
Adamu Fura College of Nursing Sciences (AFCONS) is the most recently established of these institutions, founded in 2024 by retired Air Vice Marshal Shehu Suleiman Adamu, and it runs a National Diploma in Nursing as its flagship programme. Ummah College of Health Sciences and Technology, established in 2016 under the backing of Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) Gombe State branch, is one of the older and more established private health training institutions in the state. The remaining institutions listed largely emerged as private colleges of health science and technology offering community health and allied health diploma programmes rather than standalone nursing degrees.
Accreditation Status: What Prospective Students Must Check
A critical fact prospective students need to know before applying to any private nursing or health science college in Gombe State concerns accreditation. The Gombe State Government previously shut down all private colleges of health technology operating in the state, citing a proliferation of institutions running health-related programmes without proper licensing or accreditation from the relevant regulatory bodies. Following an inspection exercise carried out by a state committee, only a limited number of these institutions were cleared to reopen, based on their compliance with the required standards for registration, staffing, facilities, and curriculum.
This history means that accreditation status among Gombe’s private health and nursing colleges is not uniform, and it can change from one session to another as the state government and relevant professional councils, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and the Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN), conduct periodic reviews. Before paying any fee or purchasing an admission form, a prospective student should confirm two things directly: first, that the institution currently holds valid operational licensing from the Gombe State Ministry of Health, and second, that the specific programme of interest carries accreditation from the appropriate professional regulatory council. A diploma from an unaccredited programme does not qualify a graduate for professional registration, regardless of how much was paid in fees.
School Fees at Private Nursing and Health Science Colleges in Gombe State
Private nursing and health science colleges in Gombe State do not uniformly publish detailed, itemised fee schedules in the way that federal or state-owned institutions typically do. Fee information is generally communicated directly to applicants during the admission process rather than posted publicly, and this is common practice among smaller private health training institutions across northern Nigeria.
Based on the general fee patterns of comparable private nursing and health science colleges in Nigeria’s northeast, prospective students can use the following categories to estimate what they are likely to pay in a session:
| Fee Component | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Tuition (National Diploma in Nursing or related programme) | ₦150,000 – ₦350,000 per session |
| Admission/application form | ₦5,000 – ₦20,000 |
| Acceptance fee (one-time, fresh students) | ₦20,000 – ₦50,000 |
| Hostel accommodation (where available, optional) | ₦50,000 – ₦100,000 per session |
| Uniform, clinical kit, and practical materials | ₦20,000 – ₦60,000 |
These figures are indicative ranges drawn from the general fee structure typical of private nursing and health training institutions in the region, not confirmed figures published by any specific college in Gombe State. Nursing and nursing-related programmes generally carry higher fees than other diploma courses at the same institution because of the cost of clinical placements, laboratory equipment, and practical instruction, which is reflected in the wider range shown above compared with non-clinical courses.
Why Exact Fee Figures Are Hard to Pin Down
Several factors explain why private nursing colleges in Gombe State do not publish standardised, easily verifiable fee schedules online. First, most of these institutions are relatively small and serve a largely local applicant pool, so they rely on direct communication, physical admission offices, and phone contact rather than detailed public websites. Second, because several institutions have gone through periods of closure and reopening tied to accreditation reviews, fee schedules can shift from one session to another as institutions adjust to new compliance costs or reduced student intake. Third, unlike government-owned schools, private colleges are not required to publicly disclose their fee structures, and many treat this information as something shared only with confirmed applicants.
How to Get the Exact Fee Figure Before Applying
Given the lack of standardised public fee information, a prospective student should take the following steps before committing money to any private nursing or health science college in Gombe State:
- Contact the specific institution’s admission office directly, using verified phone numbers or an official email address rather than numbers found only in social media posts or third-party advertisements.
- Confirm the institution’s current accreditation status for the specific programme of interest, and ask which professional council recognises the qualification.
- Request a written, itemised fee breakdown covering tuition, admission processing, acceptance fee, uniforms, clinical kit, and any hostel charges.
- Ask whether the fee can be paid in instalments, since many private health training colleges allow phased payment across a session.
- Verify the institution’s physical address and confirm that it is not one of the previously shut-down colleges that has not been formally cleared to reopen.
Following this process protects a prospective student from paying into an unaccredited or unlicensed institution, which is a real risk given the state’s documented history of shutting down multiple private health colleges over licensing gaps.
Admission Requirements Common to Private Nursing Colleges in Gombe State
While specific requirements vary slightly by institution, most private nursing and health science colleges in Gombe State that run National Diploma-level nursing or health-related programmes require candidates to hold at least five credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, obtained from WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB in not more than two sittings. Candidates are generally expected to be within a specified age range, commonly between 16 and 35 years, at the point of admission. Some institutions also conduct their own internal screening or interview in addition to reviewing O’Level results, particularly for programmes not tied to JAMB’s UTME process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there dedicated private schools of nursing in Gombe State, or only colleges of health science and technology?
Adamu Fura College of Nursing Sciences (AFCONS) is currently the main dedicated private nursing college in Gombe State. Most other private institutions in the state operate as colleges of health science and technology, offering a broader mix of allied health and community health programmes alongside some nursing-related tracks.
Why did the Gombe State Government shut down private health colleges in the state?
The state government closed a large number of private colleges of health technology after finding that many were operating without proper licensing or accreditation. Only institutions that met the required standards during a subsequent review were cleared to reopen.
How much does it cost to study nursing at a private college in Gombe State?
Exact figures are not uniformly published, but tuition for nursing and nursing-related programmes at comparable private institutions in the region typically ranges from about ₦150,000 to ₦350,000 per session, excluding admission forms, acceptance fees, and hostel accommodation.
Is JAMB UTME required for admission into these private colleges?
Requirements vary by institution and programme. Some nursing-focused diploma programmes require UTME registration, while certain allied health and community health tracks at private colleges of health science and technology may not. Confirm this directly with the specific institution.
How can I confirm whether a private nursing college in Gombe State is properly accredited?
Contact the Gombe State Ministry of Health to confirm the institution’s operational licence, and check with the relevant professional regulatory council, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, to confirm that the specific programme is accredited.